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A BRIEF 



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GEOG R A P H Y 



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FKKfAKHU FOR ) H F TSK OI 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS 



C. W: BAR DEE N, 



;-::<litor <>1- tlio "!*ieli<>ol « 111 lot! J 



SYKAi USE, N. V.- 
Davis, BaRDEEN & Co.. I'Ur.LISIIFRS 

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CopyrlgUr, 1ST9. 
15v C. W. BAKDiiEN. 



PREFACE. 

Though I have for some time had in view 
the preparation of a special geography some- 
thing like this, its issue just now is due to the 
perseverance of Commissioner Newman, who 
first persuaded me to promise to get it ready 
for the fall Institute, and then by very cour- 
teous bilt very persistent reminders saw to it 
that I kept my promise. My confidence in 
its accuracy is based on the fact that there 
is nothing original in it. I have consulted 
and cribbed from every authority I could lay 
hands on, doing so with less hesitation be- 
cause they had very freely done the same by 
Clark's history of Onondaga and by each 
other. 

The standard gazetteer of the State is of 
course French's. Though published twenty 
years ago, it is still of great value. For some 
unexplained reason the revision of French's 
edited, by Dr. Hough, and issued in 1874, has 
never been generally offered for sale. The 



IV PREFACE. 

copy I have was picked up in a second liand 
book store, and is the only copy I have ever 
seen. It omits much that was interesting in 
French's, however, and contains many glar- 
ing blunders, giving for instance 342 as the 
population of South Onondaga, and 2,761 as 
that of Mottville. Much the best sketch of 
the county is found in the Transactions of 
the New York State Agricultural Society for 
1859, pp. 218 to 352, and was prepared by 
Hon. George Geddes. Of the last county 
history the less said the better, and yet I have 
got some facts out of it. The statistics are 
mostly from the State Census for 1875. For 
assistance and suggestion I am especially in- 
debted to E. P. Howe, formerly school com- 
missioner. I have also made free use of the 
First annual Statement issued by the Syra- 
cuse Board of Trade. 

The accompanying map has been transferred 
and corrected by Mr. Griffin from that pre- 
pared by H. D. L. Sweet and published in 
the county atlas. We have spared no ex- 
pense to make it reliable, convenient and at- 
tractive. Wall-maps of the county were pub- 
lished in 1853 (43 X 56), and i860 (64 x 67). 



PREFACE. . V 

Copies of either of them may still be purchased 
of Davis, Bardeen & Co., at prices varying 
from 5octs. to $5.00, according to the condi- 
tion they are in. 

There may be some question as to whether 
this work is very well done: I think there is. 
But there is no question as to the importance 
of home geography, and, I hope the ready sale 
of this preliminary edition will prepare the 
way for something better. 
Syracuse, Oct. 4, 1879. 

C. W. Bardeen. 



INDEX. 



I. POSITION 9 

11. OUTLINE ■ 9 

III. EXTENT '. lo 

IV. SURFACE lo 

V. RIVERS II 

VI. LAKES 12 

VII. CLLMATE I4 

VIII. NATURAL ADVANTAGES 15 

Mineral 15 

Agricultural 16 

IX. TOWNS 19 

Camillus 24 

Cicero 20 

Clay 19 

Dewitt 25 

Elbridge 24 

Fabius • • 22 

•Geddes * * 25 

LaFayettee 26 

Lysander ^9 

Manlius 20 

Marcellus 27 

Onondaga 27 

Otisco 26 



VIU INDEX. 

Pompey 21 

Salina 25 

Skaneateles 23 

Spaftbrd 23 

Tully 22 

VanBureii 24 

Statistics 28 

X, CITY AND VILLAGES 29 

Syracuse 29 

Villages 31 

XL RAILROADS AND CANALS 32 

Railroads 32 

Erie Canal 33 

Oswego Canal 34 

XIL EDUCATION 35 

Syracuse University 37 

Academies 35 

Syracuse 3^ 

District Schools 36 

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 37 



GEOGRAPHY OF ONONDAGA 
COUNTY. 

I. Position. Onondaga County is almost 
in the geographical centre of the State. It 
is nearly bisected by the parallel of 43° 
North Latitude, arid extends about 15' north 
and south of the same, Syracuse is there- 
fore not quite as far north of the equator as 
is the city of Marseilles, in France. 

In longitude, the county lies mostly be- 
tween the meridians 76° and 76° 30' west from 
Greenwich. Syracuse is 48' 11'' east4?f Wash- 
ington. 

Its land boundaries, separating it from Os- 
wego, Madison, Cortland and Cayuga Coun- 
ties, are all straight lines. Seneca River, Cross 
Lake, the Oswego and Oneida Rivers, Chit- 
tenango Creek, Big and Skaneateles Lakes 
also form part of its boundaries. 

II. Outline. Its general outline is that 
of a square, with its north-east and south- 
west corners clipped off. 



lO ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

III. Extent. Its extreme length is a little 
more than 33 miles ; its extreme width a little 
less than 30 miles. Its average length and 
width are 30 and 26 miles. It contains 812 
square miles, or g\ of the entire area of the 
State. 

IV. Surface. Its surface is naturally di- 
vided into two nearly equal parts by an east 
and west line, the northern two-fifths being 
nearly level, and the southern three-fifths 
broken by ranges of hills gradually sloping to 
a height of about 1,000 feet on the southern 
border. These hills are divided into five 
distinct ridges, all having a general north and 
south direction, and separated by narrow and 
deep valteys. 

(i.) The most eastern of these ridges en- 
ters the town of Manlius from the east, and 
extends northward to the Erie Canal, the val- 
ley of Limestone Creek forming its western 
boundary. (2.) The second ridge lies be- 
tween the valleys of Limestone and Butternut 
Creeks. In Pompey this range attains an el- 
evation of 1,743 feet above tide. The lower 
or northern portion of this ridge is subdivided 



RIVERS. 1 I 

by the deep valley of the west tfranch of the 
Limestone Creek. (3.) The third range lies 
between the valleys of Butternut and Onon- 
daga Creeks. Its highest point, in LaFayette, 
is several hundred feet lower than the hills of 
Pompey. ' (4.) The fourth range lies between 
Onondaga and Nine Mile Creeks. The high- 
est point, in Otisco, is but a few feet lower 
than the highest point of Pompey. (5.) The 
fifth range lies between Nine Mile Creek and 
Skaneateles Lake and Outlet. Its highest 
point, Ripley Hill, in Spafford, is 1,971 feet 
above tide. 

The declivities of these hills are generally 
steep, but their summits are rolling. 

V. Rivers. Seneca River, a broad, deep 
stream draining nearly all the small lakes in 
central New York, enters the county from 
the west, passing through Cross Lake and 
within half a mile of Onondaga Lake, and 
after forming almost the entire southern and 
eastern boundary of Lysander, unites with 
the Oneida River at Three River Point to 
form the Oswego. All three of these rivers 
are navigable, and with Oneida Lake they 



12 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

form part of the chain of internal navigable 
waters of the State. By the Seneca River 
they are connected with Cayuga and Seneca 
Lakes, and by the Oswego Canal with Lake 
Ontario on the north and Erie Canal on the 
south. 

Chittenango Creek, on the eastern bound- 
ary, affords valuable water power at Bridge- 
port. 

Limestone, Butternut, Onondaga, Nine Mile 
andSkaneateles Creeks, running north through 
the five deep valleys of the county, flow over 
frequent perpendicular ledges and through 
narrow ravines, forming beautiful cascades. 
The first two unite and flow into Chittenango 
Creek ; the next two flow into Onondaga Lake ; 
the Skaneateles crosses into Cayuga County 
just before emptying into the Seneca River. 

While all these streams and their tributa- 
ries flow north, emptying into the St. Law- 
rence, several small streams in the southern 
part of the county form the head waters of * 
the Tioughnioga River, and flow through the 
Susquehanna River into Chesapeake Bay. 

VL Lakes. Oneida Lake has a surface of 



LAKES. 13 

57,000 acres. Its surface is 369 feet above 
tide, and its depth about 60 feet. It flows 
through the Oneida River into the Oswego, 
and thus into Lake Ontario. 

Onondaga Lake is 361 feet above tide and 
65 feet deep. It is six miles long and averages 
a mile and a quarter in width. It empties 
through Onondaga Outlet into Seneca River. 

Otisco Lake is 772 feet above, tide and 
shallow. It is 3^ miles long and a little 
more than half a mile wide. The hills about 
it rise abruptly ten or twelve hundred feet. 
It empties through Nine Mile Creek into 
Onondaga Lake. 

Skaneateles Lake is 860 feet above tide, 
and in the middle 320 feet deep. It is 16 
miles long, and more than a mile wide, and 
is perhaps the most beautiful sheet of water 
in Central New York. The northern half is 
inclosed by banks that slope gently to the 
water, but the southern half lies between 
abrupt hills that rise to nearly two thousand 
feet above tide. 

Cross Lake is shallow, and so called be- 
cause the Seneca River runs through or ac7^oss 



14 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

it. It is five miles long and about a mile wide. 
Lake Sodom, in Manlius, of late a favorite 
pic-nic resort under the name of "Green Lake,"^ 
is 44 feet above Onondaga Lake, nearly cir- 
cular, one-fourth mile wide, and 156 feet deep. 
The surface of the water being 150 feet be- 
low the top of the banks that in circular form 
surround it, the entire excavation is 300 feet 
deep. 

A lower lake in the same valley, connected 
with it by a small brook, is quite like the up- 
per, except in form, and is 165 feet deep. 

Green Lake, near Jamesville, is situated in 
what seems to have been a bay in a rock- 
bound coast. It has a surface of about ten- 
acres of deep green water, 60 feet deep, and 
200 feet below the top of the walls which en- 
circle it except on the east side. Immediately 
north of it is another excavation similar in 
form and 200 feet deep, but holding no water. 

VII. Climate. The average annual range 
of the thermometer in the county is 96°, while 
for the State generally it is 104°. The tem- 
perature of Onondaga County is therefore les& 
variable than in most of the State. Observa- 
tions taken for more than 60 years at Fair- 
mount, 520 feet above tide, marked 94° but 



NATURAL ADVANTAGES. 1 5 

once, and on the coldest days seldom failed 
to rise above zero. Though Pompey was re- 
ported by Mr. Coffin to be in its average 
temperature the coldest place reported in the 
State, colder even than those in the northern 
counties, it was remarked that the thermom- 
eter does not sink so low there in winter, or 
frosts occur so early as in the State generally. 
The mean temperature of the State gener- 
ally is 46.49°; That of Onondaga Valley is 
47.18°; and may be considered that of the 
northern or level portion of the county. That 
of Pompey is 42.84°, and may be considered 
that of the southern portion of the county. 
The length of the summer season in the 
State generally, reckoning from the first bloom 
of the apple trees to the first killing frost, is 
174 days. In Onondaga County it is 174 to 
180 days. Long Island has iS6% days and 
St. Lawrence County 152 days. 

VIII. Natural Advantages. The re- 
markable natural feature of Onondaga Coun- 
ty is its salt wells. These are in the deep 
valley about' Onondaga Lake, and are 150 to 
400 feet deep. The water is pumped up and 
evaporated either by exposure to the sun pro- 
ducing solar salt, or by boiling in kettles, 
producing fine salt. 



l6 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

Above the red shales of the salt wells 
are found the green or gypseous shales, 
forming a surface rock in an irregular belt 
across the county, mostly just south of the 
Erie Canal, with a branch extending up the 
valley of Onondaga Creek, widening out in 
Camillus and Elbridge to a breadth of nearly 
fifteen miles. The principal beds of gypsum 
are in Marcellus, DeWitt, Onondaga, Camil- 
lus and Elbridge. Water-lime appears above 
the gypseous shales, and is found in largest 
quantities at Brown's saw mill, a mile south of 
Manlius, in Onondaga Valley, and at Split 
Rock quarry. Butternut Creek, below James- 
ville exposes it in masses. This stone when 
burned and ground is used for cement. It 
readily hardens under water, and may be 
used in all places exposed to continual damp- 
ness. It was used in constructing the locks 
in the Erie Canal. 

The chief building stone of the county is 
the Onondaga Limestone, which is quarried 
extensively especially at Split Rock, and south 
of Onondaga Valley. 

In variety, strength and fertility, and in all 
the elements of perpetual productiveness, the 
soil of Onondaga County is not surpassed in 



NATURAL ADVANTAGES. l^ 

the State. It is extensively derived from the 
decomposition of the underlying rocks ; but 
the northern towns are nearly all covered 
with drift and their soil is generally a light 
sandy loam, alternating with heavy clay. The 
vast deposits of lime upon the hills go far 
toward enriching the soil of the valleys. In 
the central and northern portions the marshes 
are covered many feet thick with peat and 
muck formation, formed by the decaying veg- 
etation of centuries, and furnishing the ele- 
ments of almost boundless future fertility. 

By the census of 1875, Onondaga County 
had 373,516 acres of improved farming land, 
valued at $37,251,541, or nearly $100 an acre, 
and producing crops selling for $3,677,933, 
or nearly $10 per acre. The entire State had 
15,875,552 acres valued at $1,221,472,277, or 
less than $77 an acre, and producing crops 
"selling for $121,187,467, qr about $7.63, per 
acre. The average yield per acre of the 
various crops for the whole State and for On- 
ondaga County is thus given in the census of 

1875: 



l8 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 



Crop. Whole State. 


Onon. Co. 


Hay, tons, - 1.13 


1-34 


Barley, bushels, - 22.83 


25.13 


Buckwheat " - 15.14 


16.05 


Indian Corn, bush. 32.33 


35-90 


Oats, bushels - 28.59 


- 32.46 


Rye, " - - 11.82 


13-94 


Spring Wheat, bush. 12.19 


- 14.53 


Winter Wheat " 16.16 


18.49 


Hops, lbs., - 489.64 


- 575-oi 


Potatoes, bushels 102.22 


118.07 


The amount of each crop raised per one 


hundred acres of improved land. 


is thus given : 


Crop. Whole State. 


Onon. Co. 


Barley, bushels, - 30.4 


69.9 


Indian Corn, bush. 127.8 - 


2399 


Oats, " 239.2 


- 353-4 


Rye, " 19.2 - 


- - Z-^ 


Spring Wheat, " 7.4 


13.0 


Winter " " 56.8 - 


141-9 


Potatoes, " 230.8 


- 293.5 


Hops, lbs., - - §7.2 - 


- 45-0 


Wool, " - 41.6 - 


61.0 


Hay, tons, - - 34.27 - 


35-42 



TOWNS. 19 

IX. Towns. Onondaga county contains 
19 towns and one city. 

Lysander. This is the northeastern town 
of the county. Its surface is level and some- 
what swampy in the east and gently rolling in 
the west. The Seneca and Oswego Rivers 
form its south and east bounderies. In the 
southwest part is a slight fall in the Seneca 
River known as Jack's Reef, where much 
money has been expended for deepening the 
channel to drain the marshes near the outlet 
of Cayuga Lake. At Baldwinsville a fall of 
7 feet gives excellent water power. The soil 
is equal to any in the county for farming pur- 
poses. 

The post-offices are Baldwinsville, Lamsons^ 
Little Utica, Lysander and Plainville. Ly- 
sander post-office is usually known as Betts' 
Corners. Jacksonville is a small village in 
the north-west. West Phoenix is a hamlet in 
the north-east part opposite the Village of 
Phoenix in Oswego County. 

Clay. This is a central town on the north- 
ern border. It is bounded on the east by the 
Seneca and on the north by the Oneida Riv- 
ers. Both streams are sluggish, and along 



20 OIvTONDAGA COUNTY. 

the latter is an extensive swampy region cov- 
ered with peat beds which are to some extent 
worked for fuel. The soil is clay and light 
sandy loam, producing excellent fruit, pota- 
toes, onions and tobacco. 

The post-offices are Cigarville, Clay, Euclid, 
Plank Road, Woodard and Young. Clay 
post-office is commonly known as Belgium 
Village, and Plank Road post-office as Cen- 
treville. Three River Point i» situated at the 
junction of the Seneca, Oneida and Oswego 
Rivers. Caughdenoy is at the extreme north 
point in town. 

Cicero. This is the north-east town of the 
county, and lies upon Oneida Lake. Its sur- 
face is level or slightly undulating, and an 
extensive swamp in the south-eastern part oc- 
cupies four thousand acres, or nearly one- 
third of the entire surface of the town. An- 
other extensive swamp extends along the lake 
shore west of South Bay. The town is largely 
devoted to dairying. 

The post-offices are Brewerton and Cicero. 

Manliiis. This town lies on the eastern 
border and has a surface of great variety, con- 
taining some of the most beautiful and pic- 
turesque scenery in the county. Lake Sodom 



TOWNS. 2 1 

and its companion already referred to, the 
water-fall on the East Branch of Limestone 
Creek, and Deep Spring, are all noted places 
of resort. In the west part are extensive 
quarries of water lime, quick lime and gypsum. 
The soil is a deep, fertile alluvial in the north, 
and a sandy and clayey loam in the south. 

The post-offices are Fayetteville, Kirkville, 
Manlius, Manlius Centre, Manlius Station 
and North Manlius, sometimes called Math- 
ews Mills. High Bridge is a small village 
with excellent water power. Eagle Village 
and Hartsville are hamlets. 

Po7npey. This town is located upon the 
great dividing ridge from which the waters 
flow north into the St. Lawrence and south 
into Chesapeake Bay. Its surface is princi- 
pally the high, rolling ridge which lies be- 
tween the East Branch of Limestone Creek 
and Butternut Creek. The summit, the grave- 
yard at Pompey Hill, is 906 feet higher than 
Butternut Creek, 1,143 ^^^^ above the Erie 
Canal, and 1,743 feet above tide. The gen- 
eral ridge is subdivided into three ridges by 
the valleys of the two west branches of Lime- 
stone Creek. These valleys are 200 to 300 
feet below the* summit, and are bordered by 



22 ONONDAGA COUNTY, 

Steep hillsides. Pratt's Falls are 137 feet 
high, and near by are other fine cascades. 
Carpenter's Pond covers 30 acres. The soil 
is a stony, clayey loam. 

.The post-offices are Delphi, Marionville, 
Oran, Pompey, Pompey Centre and Water- 
vale. Pompey post-office is commonly spok- 
en of as Pompey Hill. Budville is a hamlet. 

Fabius. This is the south-eastern town of 
the county, and is in shape a parallelogram. 
It has a general elevation of 1,000 to 1,200 feet 
above the Erie Canal at Syracuse. The ssr- 
face in the southern half is broken by a series 
of ridges extending in a northern and south- 
ern direction, and separated by narrow val- 
leys. The principal elevation is South Hill, 
at the foot of which lies Labrador Pond. The 
broken surface of this town makes it specially 
adapted to pasturage. In dairy products it 
ranks first in the county, and one of the first 
in the State. 

The post-offices are Apulia, Fabius and 
Summit Station. 

Tully. This is the central town of the 
southern border. Its surface is an upland, 
level in the centre, but hilly on, the east and 
west borders. In the southern central part 



TOWNS. 

are several small lakes, one of which empties 
into the St. Lawrence and the others into 
Chesapeake Bay. In the vicinity of these 
lakes is considerable swamp land, but the 
prevailing soil is a sandy and clayey loam. 
The town is a favorite summer resort, and in 
July and August many of its farm houses are 
filled with guests from Syracuse. 

The post-offices are Tully, TuUy Valley 
and Vesper. 

Spafford. This is the south-western town 
of the county, and its surface consists princi- 
pally of a high ridge between Otisco and 
Skaneateles Lakes. Ripley Hill is the high- 
est point in the county, being 1,971 feet above 
tide water. The soil is chiefly a sandy, grav- 
elly loam. 

The post-offices are Borodino, Spafford and 
South Spafford. 

Skaneateles. This town derives its name 
from the lake which bisects its lower portion. 
The surface is rolling or moderately hilly, and 
from the lake slopes beautifully upwards from 
two to five hundred feet. The outlet of the 
lake furnishes by its numerous falls an abund- 
ance of water power. The soil is principally 
clay-loam. 



24 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

The post-offices are Mandana, Mottville, 
Skaneateles and Skaneateles Falls, sometimes 
called Marysville. 

Elbridge. This is the most western town 
in the county. Seneca River and Cross Lake 
form a part of the northern boundary. On 
the banks of Skaneateles Outlet, near the cen- 
tre, are found in the earth the peculiar tunnel- 
shaped cavities characteristic of gypsum. The 
soil is rich, sandy and gravelly loam. 

The post-offices are Elbridge, Half-Way, 
Hart Lott and Jordan. 

Van Buren. This town lies south of the 
Seneca River. Its surface is gently undu- 
lating. The soil is a clayey, sandy and grav- 
elly loam. Along the river there is consid- 
erable swamp land. 

The post-offices are Jack's Reef, Memphis, 
Van Buren and Warner's. Jack's Reef is of- 
ten called Peru, and Memphis is known as 
Canton. Ionia is a hamlet. 

Camillus. This town is nearly bisected by 
Nine Mile Creek, on the south side of which 
are steep banks loo to 200 feet high. In the 
northern central part is a swamp covering 
several hundred acres. The surface of the 
town is generally rolling, the ridges extending 



TOWNS. 25 

north and south. The soil is a rich, clayey 
and gravelly loam. 

The post-offices are Belle Isle, Camillus 
and Fairmount. Amboy is a small village. 

Geddes. This town lies on the west border 
of Onondaga Lake. Its surface is level in 
the north and rolling in the south. In the 
south-east part are several isolated, rounded 
drift hills. The soil is a clayey and sandy 
loam. 

The post-offices are Geddes and Stiles Sta- 
tion. 

Salina. This town lies on the east shore 
of Onondaga Lake. Its surface is level or 
gently undulating, with some swamps along 
the shores of Mud Creek. The people are 
largely engaged in the manufacture of salt. 

The only post-office is Liverpool. Mud 
Lock is at the point where the Oswego Canal 
first connects with Seneca River. 

Cold Spring is one-half mile down the river. 

DeWitt. This town has a surface of con- 
siderable variety, and in many places the scen- 
ery is unusually beautiful. The northern half 
is level and the southern broken and hilly. 
The declivities of the hills are deep and their 
summits from 500 to 700 feet above the val- 



26 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

leys. Butternut Creek, flowing- north, divides 
the highlands into two nearly equal ridges. 
The falls below JamesviJle are interesting as a 
curiosity. The water falls thirty feet perpen- 
dicularly, and immense beds of gypsum and 
water lime surround. The soil is a sand and 
clay loam in the northern part, and a sandy 
and gravelly loam in the south. 

The post-offices are Collamer, DeWitt, De- 
Witt Centre, East Syracuse and Jamesville. 
DeWitt post-office is commonly known as Or- 
ville. 

LaFayeite. The surface of this town is hilly 
and broken. Butternut Creek flows through 
the eastern border, and Onondaga Creek 
through the western. The high ridge between 
these streams has deep declivities, and its 
summit is 600 feet high Conkling Brook, in 
the south-eastern part, decends 500 feet in a 
single mile. The soil is generally a sandy 
and gravely loam. 

The post-offices are Cardiff, Colling wood 
and LaFayette. 

Otisco. This town lies principally on the 
high ridge between Onondaga Creek and 
Otisco Lake. The declivities of the hills are 
generally steep and the summits rolling, and 



TOWNS. 27 

elevated 800 to 1,000 feet above the valleys, 
or 1,600 to 1,700 feet above tide. Bear Moun- 
tain is the principal elevation. The soil is 
generally a sandy or gravelly loam, mixed 
with clay, and well adapted to grazing. 

The post-offices are Amber, Otisco, and 
Otisco Valley. 

Marcellus. The surface of Marcellus is a 
rolling upland, broken by the deep valley of 
Nine Mile Creek. The declivities which bor- 
der on the creek are steep, and 200 to 500 
feet high. Upon it are several falls furnish- 
ing a large amount of water power. Lime 
and plaster both abound. The soil is gener- 
ally a deep black loam, intermixed to some 
extent with clay. 

The post-offices are Marcellus, Marcellus 
Falls, Marietta and Thorn Hill. Clintonville 
is a hamlet. 

Onondaga. This is the central town of the 
county, and the largest. The surface is mostly 
a rolling and hilly upland, separated into two 
ridges by the valley of Onondaga Creek. The 
east ridge is rocky and broken, and the west 
is generally smooth and rolling. A wide in- 
tervale extends along the creek, and is bor- 
dered by steep hill sides, the summits of which 



25 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

are 200 to 400 feet high. A valley forming a 
natural pass between Onondaga and Nine 
Mile creek extends south-west through the 
town. Split rock affords Onondaga limestone 
in great variety, as also do the quarries in 
the south-eastern part of the town. Lime 
and water lime are both largely manufactured. 
The soil in the valleys is a sandy and grav- 
elly loam, and on the uplands a gravelly and 
clayey loam. 

The post-offices are Cedarvale, Howlet Hill,. 
Navarino, Onondaga, Onondaga Castle, On- 
ondaga Valley^ and South Onondaga. The 
village of Danforth is rapidly growing. South 
of this village is Brighton. 

Statistics. In the following table the 
number of acres is taken from the Agricultural 
Report for 1859, and the population from the 
Census for 1875 • 



Towns. 


Acres. 


Population. 


Lysander, 


37,399 


4,990 


Clay, 


30,217 


3,018 


Cicero, 


29,289 ■ 


2y8oo 


Manlius, 


29,187 


6,340 


Pompey, 


40,706 


Z.ZZ^ 


Fabius, 


26,779 


1,962 


Tully, 


16,265, 


1,473 



CITIES AND VILLAGES. 29 



Towns. 


Acres. 


PopulatioTL 


Spafford, 


20,073 


1,486 


Skaneateles, 


24,915 


5,035 


Elbridge, 


21,420 


4,211 


Van Buren, 


21,405 


3,174 


Camillus, 


19,985 


2,604 


Geddes, 


^,259 


5,703 


Salina, 


5,779 


2,955 


DeWitt, 


21,938 


3,129 


LaFayette, 


23,986 


2,192 


Otisco, 


18,606 


1,532 


Marcellus, 


18,878 


2,498 


Onondaga, 


40,848 


6,193 


X. City and 


Villages. 


Syracuse. Th^ 



■only city in Onondaga County is Syracuse, 
commonly known as the Central City. Though 
it is now the seventh in si^e of the twenty- 
four cities of the State, the ground upon 
which it stands was sold in 1804 for $250, in 
1813 for ^9,000 and in 1823 for $30,000, at 
which time the population was about 250. 
In 1847 the population had increased to 17,000, 
and a city charter was granted. This growth 
was largely due to the Erie Canal, opened in 
1820, which assisted in draining the marshy 
land, and furnished a sure market for farm 
produce. The railroads which have since 



30 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

centred here have made the city one of the 
great distributing centres of the State. 

Its population in 1875 was 48,255; it has 
13 miles of paved and macadamized streets, 
and 14 miles of sewers. The water-works 
can furnish thirteen million gallons a day, and 
the supply of pure water from high ground 
can be increased indefinitely. 

The b'usiness of the city comprises 280 
branches, carried on by 2,500 individuals or 
firms. The grocery trade amounts to nearly 
ten million dollars a year, the dry goods to 
four millions, and the boots and shoes and 
clothing to two millions each. The entire 
amount of capital stock invested is about 
twenty-three millions, and the annual sales 
are twice as much. 

The manufactures of Syracuse, already 
great, are sure of rapid increase. No other city 
in the country is the centre of so productive a 
farming region. Its situation at the junction 
of the Erie and Oswego canals, and its com- 
peting railroads, ensure the lowest freights. 
Coal is sold cheaper than anywhere else in 
the State. Rents are low, taxation is com- 
paratively light, and abundant capital is al- 



RAILROADS AND CANALS. 



31 



ready accumulated to furnish means for new 
enterprises. 

With such advantages as a market, as a 
jobbing- centre and as a*manufacturing city, 
the growth of Syracuse, rapid in the past, is 
likely to be more rapid in the future. 

Villages. Arranged according to their pop" 
ulation as given in the census of 1870, the 
villages of more than 200 inhabitants are 
ranked as follows: 



Geddes, 


3.629 


Elbridge, 


4^3 


Baldwinsville, 


2,130 


Marcellus, 


428 


Liverpctol, 


1.555 


Jamesville, 


402 


Skaneateles, 


1,409 


Fabius, 


378 


Fayettevilie, 


1,402 


Plank Road, 


289 


Jordan, 


1,263 


Mottville, 


276 


Manlius, 


879 


Lysander, 


'268 


Camillus, 


598 


South Onondaga 


, 242 


Onondaga Valley, 571 


Memphis, 


223 


Brewerton, 


518 


Cicero, 


212 



Since then the villages of Danforth and 
East Syracuse have grown into prominence, 
and should probably by estimated now at 
900 and 1,000, respectively 



32 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

XI. Railroads and Canals. Railroads. 
Syracuse lies half-way between Albany and 
Buffalo, and two-thirds of the way between 
New York and Buffalo, on the New York 
Central R. R., the distance to Albany being 
148 miles, to New York 303 miles, and to 
Buffalo 149 miles. It is also connected with 
Rochester by the Auburn branch of the New 
York Central, often called " Old Road," dis- 
tance 102 miles, the later and nearer route 
through Lyons being known as the " Direct 
Road," distance 8r miles. 

It is connected with Binghamton and New 
York on the south, and with Oswego on the 
north, by branches of the Delaware* Lacka- 
wanna & Western R. R. The distance to 
Binghamton is 80 miles ; to New York by this 
route, 290 miles; to Oswego, 35 miles. 

With Watertown and Ogdensburg it is 
connected by the Syracuse Northern R. R., 
now operated by the D. L. & W. Distance 
to Richland, where connection is made with 
the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg R. R., 
45 miles; to Watertown, 94 miles; to Og- 
densburg, 140 miles. 

The Syracuse, Chenango & New York R. 
R., runs to Earlville, 44 miles, and there con- 



RAILROADS AND CANALS. SS 

nects with the New York and Oswego Midland 
for Norwich, 59 miles, and New York, 275 
miles. 

Canals. The Erie Canal was completed in 
1825. It is 350 miles long, 70 feet wide at 
top, 521^ feet wide at the bottom, and 7 feet 
deep, and cost about forty-six million dollars. 
The canal leaves Lake Erie at Buffalo, follows 
the Niagara River to Black Rock, enters 
Tonawanda Creek and follows it 12 miles, 
crosses through a rock cutting to Lockport, 
and descends 59 feet in five locks. At Roch- 
ester, it crosses the Genesee River on a stone 
aqueduct, sweeps across the Irondequoit 
valley along the top of a range of hills; then 
rises by two locks, descends into the valley 
of Onondaga Creek by one lock, and then 
rises by three locks into the long level be- 
tween Syracuse and Utica. Then it creeps 
along the Mohawk River, to the Hudson, 
crossing the river twice on stone aqueducts. 
It follows down the west side of the Hudson 
to Albany, and is there discharged into a 
spacious basin. In going west, it rises through 
locks 612.9 feet and descends 43.5 feet, the 
whole number of locks being7i. AtSyracuse, 
it is just 400 feet above tide. 



34 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

The distances from Syracuse west are as 
follows : Geddes 2 miles, Bellisle 6, Camillus 
9, Canton 14, Peru 16, Jordan 19, Weedsport 
24, Port Byron 28, Clyde 44, Lyons 51, Pal- 
myra 66, Rochester 93, Lockport 155, Tona- 
wanda 174,, Buffalo 186. 

Going east the distances are Lodi i, Man- 
lius 8, Green Lake 11^, Chittenango 15, Can- 
astota 21, Rome 41, Utica, 56, Little Falls 79, 
Schenectady 136, Cohoes 157, Albany 166. 

The Oswego Canal was completed in 1828. 
It is 38 miles long, including 19 miles of slack 
water on the Oswego and Seneca Rivers, with 
tow-path on the east bank The Oneida Riv- 
er Improvement extends the whole length of 
that stream, and the Seneca River Improve- 
ment from Mud Lock to Baldwinsville by 
slack water navigation, and thence by a canal 
three-fourths of a mile long, with one lift and 
one guard lock, and by slack water on the 
Seneca River, to Jack's Reef. The canal with 
these improvements cost about ^3,640,000. Its 
width and depth are the same as that of the 
Erie Canal. It has 18 locks. 

The distances are as follows: Salina 2 miles, 
Liverpool 5, Three River Point 15, Phoenix 
17, Fulton 27, Oswego 38. 



EDUCATION. 35 

XII. Education. Syracuse University was 
founded in 1870, and is the successor of Gen- 
esee College, Lima. It is under control of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and has prop- 
erty valued at $500,000. The main building 
is a handsome structure on University Hill. 
The Medical College is on Orange St. 

Academies. The schools of the county un- 
der visitation of the Regents are the follow- 
ing : 

Supported by tuition. Val. of property. Regents scholars. 
Munro Collegiate In- 

56 
6 



45 



stitute, Elbridge, 


S35.059- 


Pompey Academy, 


5,849- 


Supported by tax. 




Baldwinsville Free 




Academy, 


21,585. 


Jordan Free Acad- 




emy, 


6,941, 


Liverpool Union 




School, 




Manlius Union 




School, 




Skaneateles Union 




School, 


11,068, 



29 

Syracuse High School, 128,250. 295 



36 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

Liverpool and Manlius union schools, be- 
ing recently received under visitation of the 
Regents do not appear in the last Regents 
Report. 

The public schools of Syracuse are under 
direction of a board of education consisting 
of one commissioner from each of the eight 
wards of the city. Of the 17,217 children 
between the ages of 5 and 21, 9,471 were 
registered during the past year, and 7,000 
were in average attendance. The total cur- 
rent expenses for the year amounted to ^100, 
000, of which ^78.528.11 was paid for teach- 
ers' salaries. 

The towns of the county contain 277 dis- 
tiicts, employing 359 teachers, for an average 
of 34 weeks. Of the 21,246 children of school 
age, 9,118 were in average daily attendance 
during the year 1877. Of the 281 school 
houses in the towns of the county valued at 
$310,860, 209 are of wood, 43 of brick, and 
29 of stone. For expenses of the schools, 
$46,170.52 was received from the State, $3, 
543.05 from " gospel and school lands," and 
$59,671.15 from taxation. 

The towns of the county are divided into 
three commissioner districts. The first, Com- 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS, 37 

missioner Robert Van Keuren, Jordan, con- 
tains the towns of Camillus, Clay, Elbridge, 
Lysander, Salina and Van Buren. In the 
second district, Commissioner W. W. New- 
man, South Onondaga, are Geddes, Marcellus,. 
Onondaga, Otisco, Skaneateles, Spafford and 
TuUy. In the third district. Commissioner 
R. VV. McKinley, CoUamer, are Cicero, De 
Witt, LaFayette, Manlius, Pompey and Fabius. 

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. 

1. Give number of wards in Syracuse. 

2. What is a street.? 

3. Mention some principal streets in 
Syracuse. 

4. How many school houses in the city.'* 

5. How many churches in the city ? 

6. What is a public building ? 

7. Name some of the public buildings in 
the city. 

8. Of what use is the Penitentiary.? 

9. Of what use is the Armory ? 

10. Of what use is the Court House ? 

11. Of what material is the Court House 
built ? 

12. For what is the City Hall used ? 

13. What is a chief officer in a city called ? 



38 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

14. Who is Mayor? 

15. How many Alderman are there? 

If). On how many different railroads could 
you leave the city ? 

17. What railroads pass through the city ? 

18. What railroads terminate here ? 

19. How many canals in the city ? 

20. What canal terminates here? 

21. What canal passes through? 

22. What kind of boats are used on the 
canal ? 

23. Where do the Erie and Oswego canals 
connect ? 

24. In what manner does the N. Y. C. R. 
R. cross the canal? 

25. How does the Erie canal cross the 
creek ? 

26. Of what use are locks ? 

27. How is salt manufactured? 

28. Is Syracuse level or hilly? 

29. In what town would you first step after 
leaving the northern limits of the city ? 

30. In what town would you first step after 
leaving the eastern limits of the city ? 

31. In what town would you first step after 
leaving the southern limits of the city ? 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. 39 

32. In what town would you first step after 
leaving the western limits of the city? 
^^. In what county is Syracuse? 

34. How many towns in the county ? 

35. Give their names. 

36. Through what towns does the Syracuse 
Northern R. R. pass ? 

37. Give boundaries of Onondaga County. 

38. Draw a map of Onondaga County. 



1. Draw a map of each town, spell its 
name and bound it, beginning with the city 
of Syracuse. 

2. State the direction of each from the 
city of Syracuse, and of each from every 
other. 

3. Bound the County and draw a map. 

4. In what direction would you travel 
from Oswego County to reach Onondaga 
County ? 

5. In what direction from Madison 
County ? 

6. In what direction from Cortland 
County? 

7. In what direction from Cayuga County? 

8. How many towns in Onondaga County? 

9. Which town is largest? 



40 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

10. Which town is smallest ? 

11. What is a lake ? 

12. Name the lakes of Onondaga County, 
describe each and spell its name. 

13. What is a River ? 

14. Name the rivers of Onondaga County, 
describe each and spell its name. 

15. Name the creeks, describe each and 
spell its name. 

16. What is a creek ? 

17. What is an outlet .'^ 

18. Tell the outlet of Skaneateles Lake. 

19. " " Cross Lake. 

20. '' " Otisco Lake, 

21. " " Onondaga Lake. 

22. " '' Oneida Lake. 

23. Of what is Seneca River the outlet ? 

24. " • Oneida River the -outlet ? 

25. " Skaneateles Outlet the out- 
let.^ 

26. Of what is Onondaga Outlet the outlet.^ 

27. " Nine Mile Creek the outlet .? 

28. In what direction does the water of 
the Nine Mile Creek flow, and where does it 
empty ? 

29. Of Seneca River.? 

30. Of Oneida River ? 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. 41 

31. Of Onondaga Creek? 

32. Of Limestone Creek? 

33- Of Butternut Creek? 

34- Of Chittenango Creek ? 

35- Of Onondaga Lake ? 
36. Of Oneida Lake ? 
37- Of Cross Lake? 

38. Of Skaneateles Lake? 
39- Of Otisco Lake ? 

40. What stream connects Otisco and On- 
ondaga Lakes ? 

41- What stream connects Skaneateles and 
Cross Lakes ? 

42- VVhat does Seneca River connect ? 

43- What lake west of Lysander? 

44. What river between Lysander and 
Van Buren ? 

45- What river between Lysander and 
Clay? 

46. What river north of Clay? 

47- What creek forms the north-west 
boundary of Manlius ? 

4«. Why is Cross Lake so called ? 

49- Is Syracuse a town ? 

50. In what manufactures are the people 
of Syracuse largely engaged ^ 



42 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

50. Why was this location chosen for a 
city ? 

52. What lake between Salina and Geddes? 

53. What State Institution in the town of 
Geddes ? 

54. What lake and river form a portion of 
the north boundary of Elbridge ? 

55. What towns border on Seneca River? 

56. What towns border on Oneida River? 

57. What towns border on Chittenango 
Creek ? 

58. Where is Otisco Lake ? 

59. Through what towns does the New 
York Central Railroad pass ? 

60. Give its termini, 

61. Through what towns does the Syracuse 
and Oswego Railroad pass ? 

62. Through what towns does the Syracuse 
and Binghamton Railroad pass ? 

63. Through what towns does the Erie 
Canal pass ? 

64. Through what towns does the Oswego 
Canal pass ? 

65. What lake north-east of Cicero? 

66. What is an inlet ? 

67. What inlet has Cross Lake ? 

68. What inlet lias Onondaga Lake ? 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. 43 

69. What inlet has Oneida Lake ? 

70. What is the "Indian Reservation ?" 
7 I. Why so called ? 

72. Tell all you know about the Indians 
and Reservation. 

73. From what did Onondaga County de- 
rive its name ? 

74. Name the most northern towns of the 
County. 

75. Name the most eastern towns of the 
County. 

76. Name the most southern towns of the 
County ? 

77. Name the most western towns of the 
County. 

78. Are the lakes of Onondaga County 
navigable ? 

79. What two Rivers unite and form the 
Oswego River ? 

80. Wh^t two streams unite and form an 
inlet to Chittenango Creek? 

81. Has Otisco Lake an inlet ? Describe it. 

82. What is an island ? 

83. What island is in Oneida Lake ? 

84. Is a canal formed like a river ? 

85. If you wish to travel north from Syra- 
cuse by railroad, which would you take ? 



44 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

86. If you wished to travel south, which 
would you take ? 

87. If you wish to travel east, which 
would you take ? 

88. If you wish to travel west, which 
would you take ? 

89. By what names are the railroads pass- 
ing west from Syracuse called ? 

90. What gulf or bay indents the north- 
east shore of Cicero ? 

91. Give a general description of the sur- 
face of the County. 

92. Mention some of the hills of the 
County. 

93. Describe the soil of the County. 

94. In what are the people mostly en- 
gaged ? 

95. Mention the different fruits of the 
County. 

96. Mention the different vegetables of the 
County. 

97. Mention the different grains of the 
County. 

98. Mention the different manufactures of 
the County. 

99. Mention the different useful minerals 
of the County. 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. 45 

100. Tell the population of the County, 
loi. Tell the number of square miles in 
the County. 

102. Where is the County seat ? 

103. Mention the County buildings and 
describe each. 

104. Mention the County officers, viz : — 
Sheriff, Deputy Sheriff, County Treasurer, 
Coroners, County Clerk, District Attorney, 
County Judge and Surrogate. 

105. State the duties and term of office of 
each. 

106. Locate Liverpool. 

107. Locate Baldwinsville. 

108. Locate Skaneateles. 

109. Locate Fayetteville. 
no. Locate Manlius village. 

111. Locate Geddes village. 

112. Locate Camillus village. 

113. Locate Marcellus village. 
114 Locate Pompey Hill. 
115. Locate Fabius village. 

IT 6. Locate Apulia. 

117. Locate Jordan. 

118. Locate Elbridge village. 

119. Locate Onondaga Hill. 

120. Locate Onondaga Valley. 



46 ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

12 1. Locate Brewerton. 

122. Locate Jamesville. 

123. Sketch off-hand by single lines the 
principal roads or streets in your school dis- 
trict, and indicate by dots or otherwise the 
residences most remote from the school-house, 
on each road or street. 

124. What public building in your district ? 
For whose benefit ? What four school-dis- 
trict ofircers in your school district ? When 
and by whom elected.'' For what time.'' 
What are the powers and duties of each ? 

125. Is there any public town building in 
your town, or in any other town in the 
county .'' 

126. What town officers in each town.'' 
When and by whom elected ? For what time.'^ 
What are the powers, duties and pay of each ? 

127. What three County buildings in Syra- 
cuse ? For what purpose .'' 

128. Name five County officers — their pow- 
ers, duties, compensation. 

129. What N. Y. State building and insti- 
tution in the town of Geddes ? What N. Y. 
Canal building in Syracuse .'' 

130. What U. S. officer in every village 
and city ? 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS. 47 

131. What are the meaning of the following 
Indian names: Onondaga; (On-on-da'-ga ; 
On-on= Hill-hill; daga=3between.) Skane- 
ateles, Oneida, Otisco, Seneca, Oswego ?' 

132. What can you tell of the eminent 
Romans for whom the following towns were 
named : Fabius, Pompey, Manliiis, Cicero, 
TiiHy, Marcellus, Camillus, Lysander ? 

133. What do you know of the soldier for 
whom LaFayette is named ? 

134. What can you tell of the following 
prominent Americans, Clay, Van Buren, Ged- 
des, DeWitt, Elbridge, Spafford ? 

135. What does Salina mean ? 

136. What nine towns have all or nearly all 
straight lines around them ? 

137. What ten towns have more or less ir- 
regular boundaries ? Why ? 

138. What ten exterior towns border on 
some other county, or counties? 

139. What eight interior towns form the 
second or interior ring? 

140. From what one town must two or 
more towns be crossed in going to the county 
line in any direction ? 

141. Through what waters does the brook, 



4o ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

creek or river nearest your school house 
reach the ocean ? 

[42 How far would you have to go from 
your school house to find water on its way to 
Chesapeake Bay? 

143. In what four towns is the water-shed 
of the county? 

144. In which town does it extend farthest 
north ? 

145. Through what waters and through 
what States does the water of Carpenter's 
Pond reach the ocean ? 

146. Is the water of Onondaga Lake salt 
or fresh ? 



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1ECKMAN 

INDERY INC. 

^ AUG 89 




N. MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 221 365 5 



